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‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the tri-state area Chinese restaurants were on high alert. They knew that ONE of them was going to be chosen on this night as the site of the next Chinese Quest review. The threat of snow was frightful, and the winds were howling, the freezing rain yowling, but the Mee’s were delightful (at least we hope our servers thought so). Not wanting to travel far from their homes, they chanced upon a fairly recently opened Chinese restaurant in Little Neck, NY called “Little Dumpling”.
Little Dumpling is located in a strip mall east of Flushing, and just west of Nassau County at:
252-20 Northern Boulevard
Little Neck, NY 11362
(718) 225-1178
They take reservations (and they even know how to hold them), but no Credit Cards. Parking is available on the street, or in a lot somewhere in the back (not that we ever found it). Little Dumpling specializes in Shanghai & Taiwanese Cuisine, and Soup Dumplings (and a lot of other dumplings too, but this was the closest restaurant that we have found near us that serves Soup Dumplings).
We were joined this evening by Young Mee Yong Joo. It’s always a great honor to pass down the traditions of The Chinese Quest to the next generation, so our legacy may be eternal. Young Mee Yong Joo traveled all the way from Denver just to be with us this evening. Or, perhaps he came in for Thanksgiving to be with his parents. I forgot to ask!
Little Dumpling had a lovely decor, eager and attentive staff… special shout out to Tony our waiter (that’s not his real name, but is the name on his name tag… it could also explain why there was Tartufo on the menu for dessert. But, honestly I don’t think that was any of Tony’s doing. But, we still don’t know how that item appeared on this totally authentic Chinese restaurant. Another mystery left to be solved. Anyone know?
The one major complaint that I could possibly muster up was the food was served up WAY too fast, and almost all at once. We were inundated by different flavors and textures, and after a while it all became a blur. I will do my best to sum up each of the dishes that we had:
We were served:
Pork Soup Dumplings – Not bad; Not too hot; Not too soupy; a little to pasta-ish; but overall I enjoyed them. I would have suggested a second order if there wasn’t just so much food coming next.
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings – Should have had another order of the Pork Soup Dumplings!
Chicken with Ginger and Basil – This was loved by some Mee’s, and upon others (including this Mee) it didn’t leave much of an impression.
Whole Fish (Steamed Bass) in Soy Sauce – This could be served in a variety of different sauces, but this is the one that Tony recommended. It was VERY good. The entire fish offered us each just a few bites. I could have eaten a lot more. Quite delish!
Spare Ribs in Brown Sauce– Totally different. Totally good! To this Mee it tasted almost like Peking Duck! It was sweet, and there was a lot of sauce and flavor. One of my favorite dishes here tonight.
Eggplant with Basil – I didn’t try it; Other Mee’s said it was good.
Sauteed String Beans – The Mee’s always make sure to get some veggies, and this did was very tasty. More please!
Yong Chow Fried Rice – It was Yong Chow Fried Rice! Good. but nothing over the top special.
Seafood Tofu Hot Pot – In the pot was Flounder, Seafood (umm, that sound redundant), Conch, Scallops, Shrimp, Cabbage, and Cellophane Noodles. This dish was quickly gobbled up (sorry for the Thanksgiving reference 😉 )
Spicy Cabbage – HOW much food could we eat? Apparently quite a lot! This was delicious. AND spicy!
Oyster Pancakes – I’m not sure how long the other Mee’s will shun me after recommending this dish just as we were about done. What can I say? It was recommended by other Reviewers. CLEARLY, they’re NOT The Chinese Quest! From now own, we will only eat our own words!
Pistachio Ice Cream in a Chocolate Shell with Whipped Cream and one Cherry on Top (surprisingly there wasn’t a fight over the cherry… though I’m not sure who got it) – We didn’t order this, but I think they wanted us to realize they either ran out of food, or they wanted to clear our table, since by this time there was quite a lot of people waiting in line for a table.
The bill came sans Fortune Cookies (did I mention it was an Authentic Chinese restaurant?). It was Mee-friendly, and we happily went off to Carvel for our just desserts!
Our rating:
What do you think of our review? Have you dined at “Little Dumpling”? What are your thoughts?
Humbly submitted for your consumption,
—Mee Magnum (“Chop! Chop!”)
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Review Overview
Five Stars
Very nice!
Summary : Very nice authentic Chinese restaurant. You'll enjoy it!